


Spring Breeze

by NatShinigami



Series: Misplaced Souls [2]
Category: Bleach, InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Fighting as a means to keep sane, Friendship, Gen, Kagome is a badass, Melancholy, Over-analyzing stuff, Quincy cross, References to Depression, Some Humor, That work that messes up everything else you had already planned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-16 14:08:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14166546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatShinigami/pseuds/NatShinigami
Summary: An unexpected meeting guides Kagome to a support and comfort she couldn't have any other way.She gets a cool bow too.





	1. Nakidashita Onna to Kyomukan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though this story forms part of Misplaced Souls, it wasn't born out of originality and my own sadistic desire to throw people with different backgrounds and experiences together. Nope, this one was born out of a selfish desire to have Kagome hold a Quincy Cross so that she could never be defenseless - and then I dusted up my knowledge of Quincy lore and thought 'why the hell not?'. Fair warning though, I abandoned Bleach when it started to lose its sense - namely when it was revealed that Zangetsu wasn't who we believed he was - so everything I know of the Wandenreich Arc is mostly through my friends who kept on with the series and my own light readings on the matter. In other words, if Adult!Uryuu is not in character is because I skipped that part of his character development.  
> I hope you like it.

The dull and grey sky served as a nice counterpoint to how she felt that day.

It had been a week already since she was back for good from the Feudal Era, and things weren't going as well as she would've liked.

It had all ended so quickly that easing back into a normal teenager's life was proving difficult: from waking up at night because a cat had deemed it funny to climb the roof to being unable to let go of her old bow and almost using it on her little brother because he had jumped at her from behind in the middle of the street. It was harrowing and it was painful to see his kind happy eyes look at her in fear and mistrust, and it was even harder to see her supportive mother look at her with sadness and wariness. Her battle instincts so used to the constant danger of the last days of battle now hardly let her pass as a normal person.

Her mother had suggested looking for help in veteran circles, but what was she to tell them? That she had fought a war against an evil hayou five hundred years into the past? No woman, no _eighteen-year-old child_ could have lived through what she did if not living in a war zone, and to lie to a psychologist would not only be pointless but also call unwanted attention towards her.

So here she was walking on a gray day, having a blue one and haunted by the red ones. What a mess.

For once she was thankful that her traves to the Feudal Era had made her grades drop, or else she might have even more hours to duel on this instead of spending them taking supplementary classes to try and learn mathematical tricks she was pretty sure she was never going to use in her life.

A shine she hadn't seen in a time called her attention, and it only took her a second for her body to react even though her mind took a while to catch up. She had the ghost-child in her arms, forbidding him from going into the road even though she knew that he was already dead.

The child held his wide eyes upwards, surprised and afraid.

"Are you alright?" she asked with kindness yet firmness.

The small boy didn't have a chance to answer, as soon enough a roar the kinds of which she hadn't feared since she was fifteen signaled the coming of whatever scared the child. Pulling him gently to stand behind her, Kagome soon had her bow in hand with an arrow ready to shot.

"Wait!" An unexpected call coming from the side started her, no doubt some civilian seeing her with her arm ready.

The monster, whatever it was, gave them no time as the second it appeared from a bend it shot forward intent on her and the ghost. And Kagome didn't hesitate.

The arrow shot, the familiar lilac light engulfing it, the beast - mindless as it seemed to be - didn't even make an attempt to get out of its path, and soon enough it was purified to dust.

The signature of another power called her attention again, and soon enough she had notched another arrow and held her bow at the ready at a man, who also held a bow... made out of _light_?

They stood at a standstill before an awed cry from the child took her out of her combat trance, and she made sure to read correctly his aura - clearly human, perhaps a remaining monk? - before breaking form, sure that even if he shot her reflexes would be enough. The boy was now holding her leg, and it reminded her of Rin so much for a second that she couldn't help to smile down at him and patting his head.

The moment her hand made contact with the child's head both him and her hand shone a soft lilac and he too started to turn into dust. He smiled and thanked her, before his particles vanished into the air, the same way the monster's had.

"I thought Shinigamis couldn't perform Konso without their Zampakuto?" Said the man, now approaching her.

She took a moment to take him in, with her bow still loosely held in her hand even though he had - somehow - vanished his. He was as tall as Miroku had been, though thinner somehow, with pale skin, dark blue eyes and black hair. He was lean, and the way he moved betrayed his combat readiness - he hadn't been bluffing then when he had pointed an arrow at her. He seemed a few years older than her, and his casual clothes confirmed that at least he wasn't a high schooler. It would be important to mention that his bored, somewhat snobbish tone, he spoke unintelligible gibberish.

Though she wasn't letting him know that, she had learned the hard way that information was as much a weapon as a sword. Instead, she went with her instinct and answered as well as she could, channeling her inner Sesshomaru.

"Perhaps a Soul Reaper would indeed need an element blessed by the Gods to carry out their will. Their Servants, however, wouldn't."

Faster than possible for a human he made his own bow reappear and shot a shining blue arrow at her. She could feel the reiki that formed it and didn't even needed to lift a hand to erect a lilac dome that swallowed the arrow and used its power to strengthen its own walls. He didn't seem fazed at this, and she could hear his not-so-quiet words.

"Figures, after years of tagging along physical fighters now I only come across Kido experts." His eyes met hers and he seemed to back down at her own emotionless face. "As long as you aren't tailing me everything is fine I guess."

This time she had a front-row seat at the event of his bow vanishing, the light forming it slowly vanished and the only thing that remained was some sort of bracelet with a trinket the man seemed to wear around his wrist. And just like he had come he turned around and left, again using a speed no human should be able to possess.

She wondered for a second if perhaps he held an ounce of youkai blood flowing through his veins, but had that been the case not only she would've been able to sense it, but he would be using youki instead of reiki to perform his attacks - and not even a half-blood from a powerful line like Inuyasha had been able of that things. She just nodded to herself, resolving to study this trouble more in deep at a later date.

Happy to have something to occupy her mind besides her lessons, she lowered her gaze to her wristwatch.

The speed at which she took off to school had nothing to envy the man's.

* * *

The happiness she felt when acing an exam was greater now than what had ever been, probably due to her strict training before with Sesshomaru, under whom you had to get happy with what you got.

Still, she felt well enough to accept Ayumi's invitation to a road trip without giving it much thought - well, as much as a job interview could be called a road trip.

It was amazing that her friend not only was already going through her first College year in a recognized conservatory, but one of her compositions had caught the attention of the producer and host to a popular ghost-themed TV show. If everything went well she might be contracted to make the music for its new season, and her name would be already out there for all producers and musicians to see her talent.

So here she was, following her friend to a small city west of Tokyo that was the man's base. They were to stay a night and go back to home the next day in the afternoon, and they would have a few hours to explore the city if so they wished.

The moment she put a foot on the city two things came to her mind: one, how this city held a strong aura and gave her a bad feeling, and two, how she wished she had brought her bow along.

Reishi and a corrupted variety, the likes of which you would only find on a Dark Miko permeated the very air she breathed, and for a second she considered to just tell Ayumi to leave. Then she remembered how their friends had put up with her through thick and thin, and how they had managed to keep their friendship even with her travels to the past, she couldn't - _wouldn't -_ be the reason her friend hadn't started off to a bright future. Besides, she reasoned with herself, if she was with her she could protect her from whatever gave off those energies.

The checked in at their hotel, left their night bags and went straight to the studio where the host and other producers were waiting for Ayumi. She sat in the waiting room, trying to further her education in how to properly use a mobile phone by sending emails to her mother to let her know everything was alright.

Half-an-hour later she was being dismissed - with great apologies - by Ayumi, as they wanted to see what she could do in a studio with proper musicians and perhaps even design a few pieces now. In other words, she got the job.

That meant that she was free for the rest of the evening, though she was to meet with her friend and the producers to eat. She was useless at a recording studio and would only get in the way, so she just congratulated her friend and went for a walk, though not before making sure to get the hour of the dinner and a promise that Ayumi wouldn't leave with her.

That made, the second she stepped out, she turned and erected a powerful barrier around the building: no beast or being of corrupt energy could even feel that there was a building there, much less pass through the barrier. Satisfied with her work, she turned and started to walk, letting her senses guide her, looking for answers as to whom those energies belonged to.

Hours later she still was devoid of answers.

Whenever she got close to one of those dark energies it disappeared, and wherever she went with a reiki concentration all she could see was normal people going on with their normal lives. Perhaps she _was_ getting paranoid and this was just another way for her battle instincts to reappear - though she knew for a fact that couldn't be after her encounter with the monster and the archer back in Tokyo.

Youkai might be extinct and she couldn't feel an ounce of youki no matter how hard she tried, but reiki was still pretty much present and she wasn't chasing ghost with this one - in the figurative sense at least.

When the sun started to pain long shadows she decided it was time for a snack and for starting the way back to the producer's building to meet Ayumi. Looking for a place to buy a snack a shop caught her gaze.

There was no one outside and seemed a cozy enough place with its traditional doors and clean front; though there was no sign indicating whether it was open or not, she took the lack of one - and that of a 'closed down' one - as an invitation. Making a desition she walked forward and entered the shop.

It was unusually dark inside, with a few aisles with diverse things - from food items to books - and a few refrigerators but what really called her attention was the raised platform at the end of the room, where a man she assumed was the shopkeeper sat with crossed legs.

She stood at attention when she let her senses wash over him: he was one of the fonts of strong reiki on this town, or so she assumed due to the stong seal he seemed to have on him.

He had blond hair unusual in any Japanese not of youkai origin, the cane he had to the side also reeked of reiki and his penetrating grey eyes seemed to tear into her soul even through the shadow cast by his hat. His soul was worst of all, it was bright and big, its light bursting from the seems of his body as if it wasn't meant to be contained by flesh. It gave him an unnatural glow that she had never seen and wasn't keen on finding what it meant, even with her miko powers more than ready to jump at her defense.

For one second she thought that this man of serious, calculated gaze was going to jump at her and try some sort of violent confrontation. The next second he lifted his head and with his eyes still in shadows gave her an overly-bright smile.

"Welcome to Urahara Shop! If there is anything you need just ask!"

There was only one word going through Kagome's mind at that statement made in a jolly voice, contrasting with his unkempt aspect.

_Creepy._

"I'm just looking, thank you." She answered politely, letting her gaze go through the aisles in look for something that caught her eye.

Finally spotting the mark of a well-known snack brand she walked ahead, and after deciding quickly which one of those she wished to consume, walked towards the man to pay her selection when something else caught her eye.

A pendant, a beautiful one of a five-point star within a circle. It brought memories of a blue-light bow and a severe man that had shot an arrow at her. Taking it in her hand she took it with her, thinking on trying to investigate this kind of things once she goes back home. The man spoke again while she approached with the same jolly tone.

"You know, if you are a Quincy perhaps you would be interested in another kind of... equipment."

She denied softly with her head, inferring 'quicy' was a street-band or something.

"I am not a Quincy..."

The second the words left her mouth she felt something change in the room. Kagome couldn't even finish the sentence before her battle instincts - who she imagined materialized as chibi Inuyasha, smug at being proven right - kicked in and she did the first thing she thought of: channel her powers to create a barrier.

Thing is, the second the reiki in her body touched the star-shaped trinket she found herself not only inside her semi-transparent barrier but also with a bow made of a light purple-ish metal that seemed to sing in her mind when the steady beat of her power touched it. The man in front of her seemed unfazed by the bow, now with his cane over his lap - and she was willing to bet her arm that was a sealed sword of some form this close -, though there was a mild surprise at the barrier she erected.

"My, my, they have been teaching new tricks. I'm impressed! So how about we discuss a little bit of how you don't seem to know what I am?"

Direct approach, Sesshomaru would like this guy.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing myself."


	2. Interlude - Kinjirareta Asobi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter of the unexpected work! Not Uryuu on this one, but still keeps a relation with the Bleach universe. Urahara caught me by surprise the last chapter, Uryuu was supposed to lose his Quincy Cross somehow and Kagome would get that one, but then I went through anything I know about him - and everything I infer based on that - and decided that there was no way he would be so careless as to lose his weapon. Then Urahara came, drugged me and said he would give me over to Mayuri if I didn't write him in and so I was forced to do it. In all honesty, I am not sure I wrote him well, he is a hard one to pin down and that is why I didn't want him into this.  
> Still, I'm realizing this of not planing where you go and write as you go along might be the reason I prefer to plan every detail - which is, in turn, the reason why I never finish anything. I feel the Kagome in this installment is darker than the one in Songs of the Past. I will review my inner-coherence meter and then act according to what it tells me.  
> Also, thank you for reading and following this!  
> Enjoy!

"I'm leaving for London in three days. Thought you ought to know." She said while dodging the red wave that came at her.

Training under Urahara Kisuke was almost as harrowing as training under Sesshomaru, if only for the fact that this man wasn't above using underhanded techniques to get her to give her best.

The Quincy Cross, as it was called, had proven the first of a long list of elements the ex-Shinigami had made her test. She now held quite the assortment of items the man swore time and time again weren't illegal - and it was right, if only because for something to be legal some form of authority had to be made aware of its existence. It was nice knowing that whether long-ranged or close-ranged she would never again be defenseless without visible weapons, but she still questioned the choice of letting this man know as much as she had.

He seemed trustworthy and sane but gave off the vibe of mad-scientist sometimes - the fact that he had created a pocket-dimension underground training room probably didn't help.

Still, it was his willingness to lend her a place to train and even spar with her time and time again what had allowed her to ease herself back into some sort of normalcy. She spent every weekend letting her abilities run wild, and as a reward, she didn't jump at every little sound anymore. This had allowed her not only to improve the relationship with her family but to finish her studies properly and even apply for a scholarship abroad, something she hadn't even thought possible half a year ago.

It also helped that she had been able to distract herself from her loss by submerging head-on into a full secret world, not unlike hers. Here there wasn't Youkai but there were Hollows, and instead of Mikos, Monks, and Taijiya to fight them off, you had Shinigami and Quincy - with some other groups thrown in, too small to really count but too powerful to pass on. It wasn't the same: this wasn't her people, and their combat forms and objectives were too dissimilar to replace anything of what she had lost - hell, half the times Hollows ran away from her instead of towards her, which had confused her newest friend to no-end and got her the first free-sample of his Raving-Mad-Scientist persona. But it was calming to know that other people were experiencing similar problems and managed to go on with their lives.

The world kept on going, and if you stopped to wait for something it left you behind. It was the first lesson Kisuke had taught her, one she found herself unable to fully commit to, but she was trying.

Being in Japan was just too hard: everyplace she went she could recall how it had been five hundred years ago, the battles she had fought there and the people she had befriended. Seeing everyone else move forward while she stayed behind did nothing to spur her into action, as she only felt even worse. She neede to get away, from the places from the people who were there and those who weren't. There was no other way...

"Stop daydreaming or you'll become cat food!"

A quick duck to the side, brought out of instinct rather than actual attention to the battle at hand saved her from having her arm severely hurt. Using the momentum she continued the spin on quick feet, bringing up her light bow and shooting the array of light arrows towards the Shinigami, guiding each and every single one of them with her mind and her soul to hit.

He used his speed trick, S _hunpo_ , and got himself out of the way - but she was more than ready for that.

She would have never even thought of using her Reiki to improve her physical capabilities had Kisuke not spelled it out for her - apparently, that is what the Quincy did, with varied results. Her own form of it required too much concentration - she had to force her reiki out of her body and into the path she wanted to follow before actually taking a step and using the resulting 'speed' to her advantage -, in Urahara's training ground she already had her paths established, which had the benefit of freeing her mind and concentration to make use of the technique in its full power; the disadvantage was that the man knew almost all of the points where she could land.

Another technique that used less energy and allowed her a greater strategic advantage she had created and named:  _Ankoku Matsoku (roughly Shadow Grid)_ used a small portion of her energy and distributed it through the battlefield, be it air, earth or water. With it she could track the enemy's reiki - and, in principle at least, youki - know their exact position to make her arrows hit every time and if they were about to attack her. It also was useful for tracking enemies at high speeds or invisible and allowed her to have most of the advantages of enhancing her senses with her reiki without the actual energy consumption.

Shinigami were surprisingly blind to pure Reiki attacks they couldn't see: Kisuke could avoid her arrows alright if he saw them, but things like her  _Kage no Toge_   _(roughly Shadow Spines)_  he couldn't see nor feel, so he was always late to counteract them. Like now...

"How many times did you expected me to fall for those before I found a way to counter them?" Was his reply to her attempt with the attack that had become almost a staple in her battles against him.

He was right, too much time using that. Time for the next trick.

With a smile that she only used to use when she was about to sit Inuyasha she let the threads of her reiki come together until the man was trapped in one of her impenetrable - and non-see-through - barriers. Kagome knew the man had practiced ways to get himself out of those - one of which he could perform by simply running time and time again against its walls until it weakened and fell - but she didn't need him contained for long.

Her pace was quick enough while getting the innocent-looking silver bars that made her Soul Cutting swords in a hexagonal formation around the trapped man, just before standing in the direction where her energy relayed he had his back to. And just in time, it seemed, for not twelve seconds after she finished preparations the barrier shone brighter - another new development, meant to blind the enemy at the sudden change in brightness - and broke completely.

Now using the energy stored she speed up until she could stick an Ofuda to his back and then draw out of the area between the blades. She had time to perform a confusing hand movements, see his face harden at the realization that she had managed to seal his speed - she would have never thought of using Ofuda for  _intent_  instead of established spells - and his sword tip circling, leaving a trail of red energy there were the tip of the blade passed, to form the technique that had been her demise in most spars against him.

_I've got you_ , was all the small piece of her mind not concentrated in combat or in what she was doing.

She could feel his reiki shooting out from the connection with his blade to meet the expected blast of raw, uncontrolled reiki that was to come from the blades struck to the ground - but instead of that, fine wires made of pure, concentrated energy emerged instead. Way too small and way too focused - too laser-like - to be stopped by a technique readied for an all-out blast of power, and one he couldn't even avoid due to her previous sealing of his speed.

A strategy designed specifically to play with his own habits and expectations of her.

Now he could invoke his Bankai and end it all, or perhaps...

Smiling at having thought of a good way out he opened his mouth to quickly murmur the incantation of a Bakudo technique - only to find his reiki didn't answer to the words.

The wires closing in he could only wonder how had she managed to stop his own energy from obeying him.

And then, just when the wires had formed hard and shiny points ready to impale him, they suddenly turned into the soft warm light he associated with the Miko presence, and they dissolved into playful white foxes with flames above their tails that rounded him a bit before vanishing into clear dust.

"I don't know why I even bother anymore. Since you started associating with Yoruichi you have become more insolent."

"It also helps that you are not the scariest man out there, Kisuke." Was the comment from the black cat laying on a rock, watching him intently.

Kagome was lightly pouting, her happiness at gaining the upper hand over such an opponent - even in a friendly not-so-serious spar - dimmed.

"I still can't get it to form cats. Their claws would be more effective than foxes'."

And cats didn't remind her of her lost son.

The Shihoin princess jumped from her perch and transformed mid-air, hugging the priestess and laughing up at her irritated best friend.

"Aw, don't worry, you'll get there soon enough. Could you unseal this man before he gets cranky and blows up his own place?"

The smile returned to the miko at that.

"Don't worry, he won't be able to use his reiki for anything until I remove the spell."

"Yeah, but recently he's been messing with human technology and something called 'nitroglycerine' and..."

It was hilarious to see how fast Kagome jumped to remove the Ofuda from the man's back as he had started to inch his hand towards a hidden pocket in his haori in which you could see perfiled a vial, murmuring something about madmen and scowling at his shadowed smile. The older woman meanwhile, only looked at them with a small smile in her face, it was rare for the ex-Captain to have a chance to form a friendship with someone who wasn't directly connected to their world and not having to hide a part of himself - she herself found herself feeling compelled to confide in the younger human.

She was a human, and a kid compared to them, she wasn't either Shinigami nor Quincy, yet she had the eyes and making of a warrior and an ability to make people open up to her - even when it was rare to see her doing so herself. It was a weird chance for them to have the tides turned on them, with Kagome's ever-present sadness and hidden stories. Her contemplation was broken by the black-haired woman.

"I am really going to miss you guys..."

She jumped, hugging her again and even Kisuke stepped forward - if a little wary after the Priestess tricks - and put a hand on her shoulder.

"This is not a goodbye sweet thing, I'm pretty sure there is some way for us to keep in contact, if not by human means them I'm sure Kisuke here can put something together. And you can come see us whenever you want."

A look prompted the only man to give his own supportive words.

"Of course, there are not many people that can outsmart me in combat. You definitely have to come, I assure you next time I'm going to have a countermeasure for your spells ready."

Kagome smiled, more thankful for their words than anything else. This separation would hit closer than home than she wished, and was happy and reassured to know that she wasn't losing them for good this time.

"Thank you guys, just... Thank you."

A group hug and a few tears later both Shinigami stood with a smile in front of the little miko, whom suddenly blushed deeply and looked aside.

"I hadn't realized before but... you are naked, Yoruichi."

While said woman laughed out loud at her sudden meek tone and the blonde man stood with a knowing smile, as if this scene was a staple of his days, Kagome realized something very important: this people weren't her Tachi and would never replace that what she had lost, but as long as they were here with her, supporting her and her endeavors, she could give this land and this world a chance.

As the laughter died down and time started to flow again the in the world, Kagome left Urahara Shop with a lighter heart, a cell-like device and a promise to tell them all about English Hollows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If Kagome sounds too much like some FemShep interpretations, blame it on the fics I was reading while writing this.


	3. Hanabi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be the last chapter, but I decided to try my hand at drabbles and that is what's going to compose the fourth and last chapter of this installment. Sorry for the delay with this one, last weekend was hectic.  
> Also this thing with the northern hemispheres having the opposite of southern in regards to seasons its really starting to get annoying, especially when the timeline you create for coherence doesn't match up with what you've got already written.

Winter had always been her less favorite season,  _especially_  during her travels in the Warring States Era.

It was always cold and heat was hard to conserve, unexpected blizzards would creep out on them and they would spend valuable days huddled in a small cave by a fire trying not to get to each other's throats. It was a miserable time of the year, though it was a hard competition between freezing in winter or melting to sludge in summer's heat. And like that season, winter brought along memories of simpler times: snowball-fights, scaring the hell out of Sota by pretending to be a Yuuki-Onna, Chrismaths presents and meals, and of course rising her pa's back while walking among visitors on the New Year. The last one drew a melancholic smile on her face and made her gaze wander to the red-haired man beside her.

Who would've thought she would be assisting one of those as a visitor with the company of her own son at the tender age of twenty-four?

While she had chosen a simple, yet warm kimono in shades of blue in celebration of the death and rebirth of time as well as the season, Sippo had gone full-daiyoukai on her, choosing instead a kimono, not unlike the one Sesshomaru himself had worn five hundred years ago. It was carefully crafted of silk with details on green, orange and blue, with small flames all over the place. He would have complimented his attire with a fox mask, hadn't she talked him out of it, yet he still managed to get one of his tails on show by making it pass as some form of extravagant decor.

The only thing that had been hard for her kit to agree to, was the hiding of his preferred blade: he never got out of home without it, the same way her Cross never strayed from her wrist for long. Nobody was expecting any threat - low-level youkai ruled by instincts had extinguished long ago, human criminals wouldn't stand a chance against people as trained as them. And Hollow didn't pursue either Miko or youkai as their preys - and the last ones, in fact, seemed completely unaware of the giant spiritual monsters roaming the land, and those who hunted them.

Despite the cold climate and the general difficulty of moving in a layered kimono, Kagome was lively. Though lively would be the wrong word to describe how she felt, she was happier than ever of having many of her dearest friends back on her life, and of meeting both new and old ones.

The first weekend after settling down into the temporary job she had spent with her adopted son and friends, talking about everything and of nothing and finding out how five centuries had affected everyone. She next one she went to Karakura Town to meet her Shinigami friends. An all-out 'Welcome Back Spar' had been the last thing on Shippo's mind as to reasons of why his mother figure reeked of sweat and an unknown male, and Kagome had her suspicions confirmed that Miroku had heavily influenced her boy during a highly impressionable part of his life and that now as an adult he took after him.

He wasn't laughing nor throwing suggestive comments anymore after she had won against him in an honest spar after his centuries of training with the most powerful Daiyoukai alive and the growth of his own power.

Now, standing under the warm lights that blocked the starts and the coldness that cleansed the everything, the smells of food and revelry wafting through her nose, she felt like everything was good and right in the world. That it had all been worth it and would be alright now.

She just jinxed herself with that last thought.

A large yet delicate hand caught her arm unexpectedly, and only her thoughtful nature and the fact that Shippo remained tranquil at her side allowed her to remain calm. Her eyes rose to meet her opponents and she found blue hues that jolted her memory. A swift glance at the wrist holding her hostage confirmed her suspicion.

She smiled softly at the man dressed in a lilac and blue kimono, putting together the pieces. "You're Uryuu Ishida-san, aren't you? It's nice to finally meet you!"

At her other side, Shippo frowned at the Quincy and almost let a growl out of his lips when he felt the male's reiki rise in surprise and defense, his own youki eager to reply if not for the woman standing at ease at his side. It didn't escape his keen eyes that he held the same charm his mother used to channel her reiki and create a bow.

"How did you get a Quincy-cross?" Said the unknown with a monotonous tone belied by the interest flaring in his eyes. He let Kagome's hand fall back to her side while she stood smiling at him.

"Urahara-san of course!"

The newcomer just started to mumble under his breath in a tone that escaped anyone's understanding but the youkai's about people mingling in business not their own. It was quite the amusing display that was soon cut out by the sound of words mingled with purring and the following startled jump.

"Will there ever be a stance in your life when I don't find you surrounded by a strange array of fellows?"

Shippo couldn't help but snort despite his wariness towards the  _talking cat_  at his feet - though he was pretty sure he didn't have any room to judge - and was at the same time comforted by Kagome's hand in his and her mock-anger look she shot his direction.

"Do I want to know what you got yourself into this time?" He asked with his voice holding a fondly resigned tone.

Her answering kind smile was a reminder of all the power she had to change the hearts of people around her, and the sudden tightening of her grip a reassurance that she was far from the defenseless fifteen-years-old that had taken him in during his darkest hour.

Her tone though, was sheepish when she answered. "I don't quite think so, Kisuke might want to dissect you if he caught wind someone like you exist!"

"I think you are confusing Kisuke with Kurotsuchi" added Yoruichi at her feet with an amused tone.

Uryuu snorted, conveying with that simple gesture whose fault did he thought it was that the 12th Division Captain held such a... rare approach to research and nature.

Kagome just had a moment to smile at that before the people around her started the countdown and soon enough fireworks exploding in the sky reclaimed her attention. Her eyes wandered to the fiery flowers lighting the sky, taking in the array of colors and figures. Her eyes wandered to the faces of her friends at her side, from the small cat who looked up a little wary at the large Fox Demon - undoubtedly smelling something out of place - and said demon with his tail twitching slighting in excitement and his eyes warmly illuminated by human magic.

Things were not the same by all means, but it was better than fine. She had found her place back in the world she belonged to and it was amazing to feel so well, so loved.

To feel again like everything was the way it was meant to be, but better.


	4. Bonus - Hitohira no Hanabira

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the warm receiving this part had - and my own nostalgia, after all, thy of clever eyes would've already noticed that my pen-name for fanfiction has been heavily influenced by this series - I decided to give it a bonus chapter. This is set in-between chapters one and two of this same work and will show us a little bit more of Kagome interacting with those with ties to the Soul Society.  
> Also, its actually amazing how much a series about a psychopath cannibal can help you with characterization - especially in the feeling department, with a sucker for internal angst as I am - and self-introspection, though I highly doubt I will ever get to understand what goes through my head. On a completely unrelated note, now I want to write something crack by making all the Starks I know of meet and dabble on diverse subjects - considering they are GOT's Ned, MCU's Tony and Bleach's Coyote I can't find a way of that going well...  
> Enjoy this last stand, where I make perfectly clear that my brain doesn't understand the meaning of the word nor 'limit' or 'brief'.

  **Yellow Beauty**

A young woman dressed in a bright yellow dress always caught people's attention.

A young woman on a bright yellow dress holding a Quincy bow though, that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand in warning. The fact that the Hollow she was pointing her arrow towards seemed more interested in chopping him to pieces than dealing with her made that feeling spike and turn into outright alarm.

When she finally released her arrow and the beast was torn to dust he crossed eyes with hers, a bright blue that was as pure as the clear sky after rain. A soft smile adorned her lips, she waved her hand at him and kept going her merry way as if this was something she did every day.

Women were mad - as if he needed further confirmation of that.

* * *

**Kaleidoscope**

A soft purr called forth her attention from her limbering-up. A large cat was rubbing itself against her legs, and she couldn't help but smile thinking of Buyo back at home.

"I didn't know you had a pet, Kisuke."

Her host huffed while stretching his limbs. "Yoruichi is as far from a pet as you from a Hollow. Get away from her before she turns you to the dark side."

"My my, such a cold greeting, and here I was planning to catch you a mouse to show you my undying devotion."

She was about to laugh at the joke when she realized the male voice didn't come from the Shinigami before her, but from the cat at her feet. Kagome almost got whiplash between switching her gaze to the black cat and back upwards when a smoke cloud engulfed it, leaving in its place a very-naked dark-skinned, golden-eyed woman who was smiling like the cat that ate the canary.

"What, cat got your tongue?"

And she thought the Feudal Era was crazy.

* * *

**Mrs. Pumpkin's Comical Dream**

Her eyes widened in realization.

"You actually crafted a soul! How in hell is that even possible?!"

When his eyes lightened up with the hopes of sharing the knowledge she cringed internally before the giant amount of technical soul babble that was about to be force-fed into her brain.

Why couldn't they resort to the simple 'a wizard did it' reasoning that plagued the media these days? She sighed, her gaze going back to the small pill that shone dully in her hand while she tuned out the Shinigami behind her - she shouldn't have done that.

Before she had time to react the man was shoving the pill down her throat and before she knew it she was standing outside her body, watching it gallivant around in the hands of a self-named 'Awesome Kon-sama' and a very intrigued Kisuke with his eyes fixed in the pure white orb that was her soul. What was he expecting, a greeting?

With a grumble she shot towards her body, hearing the male voice scream in outrage at being cut from his freedom in her damn mind while her soul reassessed her control over her being.

Letting the small pill over the table she turned a dark gaze towards a suddenly nervous man, and her aura flared.

"Never again."

* * *

**Nevereverland**

Today she was dwelling on the past, he could feel it in the air even though her demeanor was a bubbly as always.

She had finally opened to them two weeks ago and told them of how she gained her powers, of her travels to the past and of her Tachi. He wished he had been a more social person, but due to his mind, he was hard-pressed to get why she couldn't just move on. Yoruichi was a little bit more comprehensive, but between a scientist and a master assassin they weren't much of a stepping stone - even when she insisted that their presence helped more than they could ever imagine.

When her gaze wandered beyond him he decided he'd had enough.

Calling forth his reiki he invoked a kido technique he hadn't used in a while, seeing her startle back to the current spar and ready to parry whatever he decided to throw her way. When the first butterflies caressed her skin she left out the first genuine, if startled, laugh of the day.

With a small smile, she conveyed her thanks and he needn't more than that.

With them, she could ever find a friend willing to help - even if they weren't her  _pack_  they could be her  _family._

* * *

**Dream of the Sky**

He had read the reports and evaluated the scenes, but standing before the real thing was very different.

A Quincy that Hollows didn't notice or went after, one that could perform Konso with a mere touch of her hand, and one that was friends with some highly unusual people if the back cat frowning at him was of any indication... And she was but a mere whelp, the same kind of beast he had thought Kurosaki the first time he saw him.

He had a headache even thinking about the guy and all the trouble he had brought back in the day - the mere thought of this seemingly innocent young woman bringing about the same amount of trouble was enough to invoke a cold shudder on his spine.  _He didn't want to deal with that!_

Back to the real world, he found her looking straight at him, and she was _smiling_  at him. Why was she smiling at him? Had Renji somehow put her up to this? Has Urahara? The high chance of the latter being involved in the  _apparition_  of this mystery was enough to chill his whole being - because it had gone so very well the last time the ex-Captain had tried his hand at playing Natural Selection...

Then she was right in front of him, with the clearest blue eyes he had ever seen filled with both, the light of a warrior and that of a healer, still smiling kindly and with a small confused tilt.

"If you're in threat assessment I recommend you to suppress you reiki besides using a gigai next time. Not only can I still feel you, but even like this you might call Hollows upon yourself." He only drew his eyebrow up in response, and internally enjoyed seeing her go all flustered over her words. "Not that I don't think you can defend yourself, all Shinigami have to be able to, at least that's what Kisuke's told me... You know, nevermind."

And like that she just went away, mumbling odd things like 'Demon Lord's reincarnations being as creepy as the real deal' and 'she could never escape those cold, cold eyes' and 'what had she done to deserve this?!'. It was amusing at least, and he allowed himself a small smile before returning to his information gathering.

After all, Soul Society had far more problems going than a Shrine Maiden easing on their workload.


End file.
